Posted on 01/20/2014 3:57:14 PM PST by rickmichaels
Prime Minister Stephen Harper got it right in his speech to the Israeli Knesset on Monday.
In his first trip to the region, Harper described Israel and Canada as "the greatest of friends." This is not simply because there are almost 350,000 Jewish Canadians.
It's not just, as Harper noted, because of our longstanding free trade agreement.
It's because of "shared values." As the prime minister said, "Israel is the only country in the Middle East, which has long anchored itself in the ideals of freedom, democracy and the rule of law." They are quite simply the only country like us in that part of the world.
We must not approach human rights and democracy in the world from a relativist position.
On that note, these words from Harper are worth repeating: "Most disgracefully of all, some openly call Israel an apartheid state "¦ Think about the twisted logic and outright malice behind that: A state, based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law, that was founded so Jews can flourish, as Jews, and seek shelter from the shadow of the worst racist experiment in history, that is condemned, and that condemnation is masked in the language of anti-racism." We're tired of the Israeli Apartheid Week shenanigans that happen here.
Activists criticize Israel but ignore, to use one example, the persecution of gays by the Palestinian Authority. Whereas Israel is by far the most progressive country in the region on this issue.
On this note we agree with Harper that "criticism of Israeli government policy is not in and of itself necessarily anti-semitic" but that a new version of sly anti-Semitism has reared its head at campuses and in intellectual circles, masquerading as mere criticism of Israel.
Another important point: Supporting Israel doesn't mean neglecting Palestine.
Canada is an honest broker for a two-state solution. After all, we put our money where our mouth is.
While visiting the West Bank with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Harper pledged to give $66 million to Palestine for economic development and security.
As David Akin noted in his report: "Since the Palestinian Authority was created in 1993, Canadian governments have provided the Palestinians with $650 million in aid." That's far from uncaring.
I was happy to read this until I got to the part that said we’ve given millions and have pledged millions more to the “Palestinians”. I will think of this tomorrow as I work to bring home about 60% of what I have earned.
On this note we agree with Harper that “criticism of Israeli government policy is not in and of itself necessarily anti-semitic” …Decades of doing it proves that it most definitely is.
Well said!
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